Take a few moments to honor America's war dead

Memorial Day honors America's war dead and originated in the years after the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971.

Those are the facts about the last Monday in May.

The cold, hard reality, however, is that numbers can't replace names of those who have fought, both domestically and abroad, and died in U.S. service.

They range from large-scale battles in foreign land such as the Battle of the Argonne Forest, a 47-day battle in France that cost American more than 26,000 lives; or the Battle of the Bulge, a 40-day clash that killed 19,000 Americans; or the continuing war on terror that has cost more than 7,000 American soldiers alone.

But there are also smaller battles that cost others their lives, including ones waged in the Buckeye State, including the Siege of Fort Meigs, the Battle of Fallen Timbers, and St. Clair's Defeat (or the Battle of Wabash, if you will), which killed more than 1,000 soldiers on the state's soil.

Those deaths are the ones we honor today. It's a reminder that brave men and women are enlisted in our military and serve across the globe to protect our safety and freedom. They fought in Europe, Vietnam, Korea, Germany; and continue to fight in the Middle East and Afghanistan.

While Memorial Day weekend is often a time of celebration and fun, it should also be marked with at least a moment of remembrance and solemnity.

Our moments of freedom have been purchased by those who have been willing to die to preserve them. Honor their memory this weekend, by saying a prayer, attending a Memorial Day event, or taking a few moments to find out more about someone who fought and died from your town.